Letters to the Editor
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‘Bloomberg and Pigou’
Thank you for giving us Mayor Bloomberg’s definition of capitalism, a rather novel definition, I believe. Perhaps someone will give us examples how “economics … influence[s] public behavior” on the foundation of capitalism [Editorial, “Bloomberg and Pigou,” April 23, 2007].
Is that what capitalism is all about? How about, uh, socialism? Communism?
In the matter of “congestion pricing” — curious euphemism — the price would, I believe, be set by government officials. Is this capitalism? I don’t think so, unless we are talking state capitalism.
In a free enterprise society, it is not, I believe, the proper aim of government to use its taxing power to regulate behavior. Didn’t Chief Justice Marshall warn that the power to tax is the power to destroy? I had thought “public behavior” was regulated by enforceable regulations, not, at least not in a free society, by economics.
With parking violations used as a New York City revenue source, perhaps the mayor might be excused for confusing penalties for taxes — except he is far too sharp to make this error.
As the senior public official in the City of New York, Mr. Bloomberg long ago started down the road of — let’s call it state-sponsored Pavlovism. The physical responses noted by Pavlov, of course, have nothing to do with freedom.
DAVID ZUCKERMAN
Bronx, N.Y.
Lonely Pamphleteer Review
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